Founding Dean of Ohio University’s George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Mark Weinberg, announces intent to step down

Dr. Mark L. Weinberg has announced his intent to transition from his role as Founding Dean of Ohio University’s George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service effective June 30, 2023.

Dr. Weinberg was named Founding Dean of the Voinovich School in May 2014. The School, which was originally created in 1981 as the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development, was founded by Weinberg, who initially served as director at the inception of the program. 

“Mark created the Voinovich School from the ground up to become one of the premier public service programs in the nation,” President Hugh Sherman said. “He has been critical in helping the University build the importance of public service to our region and State into our mission. He is a dedicated colleague and friend who will leave a proud legacy at Ohio University, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has had on our communities.”

Weinberg, who is a professor of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, specializes in the areas of organizational strategy and public sector value creation. As founding Dean of Ohio University’s George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, he has provided strategic oversight of economic development at Ohio University, including a range of business technical assistance programs and equity funding for high-growth businesses in the Appalachian Region of Ohio.

Under Weinberg’s leadership, the Voinovich School has secured its position as a national frontrunner in leadership and public affairs education through its strong public service mission and commitment to working with communities to implement solutions that make meaningful, lasting impacts on Ohioans’ health, livelihoods, and well-being.

“I have deeply valued Mark’s ability to create programs for students in public service and environmental studies, build leadership capacity for local governmental and public sector agencies, and oversee diverse applied research projects to improve the lives of citizens in our region,” Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs said. “He is a natural entrepreneur who knows how to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.”

Dean Weinberg attributes the School’s many successes to its distinction among public service schools for its ability to build public-private partnerships with nonprofit organizations, government, and businesses to create public value by leveraging faculty and partner expertise. The Voinovich School integrates services, investment and talent development to grow companies, build community collaboratives and non-profit organizations, and improve government delivery of services. This model allows Voinovich students, including many working professionals, to use applied research to develop and implement impactful real-world solutions.  The success of the School stems from the talented and dedicated public service faculty and professionals at the School and tireless work of Ohio University alumni.

"I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve Ohio University in this critical role for the past four decades,” Weinberg said. “It has been my privilege to work alongside some of the brightest minds and best resources in the state to solve big challenges and create real change in the Appalachian region of Ohio and beyond. I have every confidence that former Senator George V. Voinovich’s legacy will continue to thrive through the accomplishments of the Voinovich School in the years to come.”

Weinberg received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Maryland and his doctorate from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He joined the department of Political Science in 1976 and has taught a range of management courses including the capstone seminar in Public Administration, Public Budgeting, Financial Management, and Public Policy Analysis and is published in these areas. Based on his research and teaching interest he created the Ohio University Executive Leadership Institute and where he taught as a faculty member from 1998 to 2010. He has been active in his profession and the state having been a Whisman Scholar for the Appalachian Regional Commission, twice served as president of the Consortium of University Public Service Organization, a founder and board member of the National Incubation Association, board member of the Ohio Innovation Program for the Ohio Department of Development as well as many other service roles.  

Weinberg, who has partnered with the deans of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Health Sciences and Professions to create Ohio University’s Health Collaborative, will continue to serve as Senior Strategic Advisor, working on special projects in the Leadership Academy and as an advisor to the Health Collaborative through June 30, 2024.

Plans for continuity of leadership of the college will be announced at a later date.